Ultra fluffy bakery-style cornbread muffins that are full of flavor. Ditch the box and make these instead!
If you’ve stalked my What I Ate Wednesday posts over the years, it comes as no surprise that I’m a bit of a cornbread fanatic. I’ll eat it with breakfast, lunch, and dinner without even an inkling of apology. I mean, hello! It’s cornbread!
That being said, I’m also a complete cornbread snob. I’ve tried ever boxed variety out there and nothing seemed to come even a little bit close to the super fluffy bread I fell in love with at Boston Market and The Fresh Market. I’ve been known to drive out of my way to stock up from either location just so I can get my CB fix. It’s that extreme.
Thankfully I can finally put an end to the madness!
Not the cornbread madness, of course, but the driving out of my way bit. I had a bake-a-thon in my kitchen and tested a dozen different measurements and ratios until I could happily faceplant into the muffins WITHOUT dunking it into hearty chili or slathering it in extra butter! That was the true test.
Mission accomplished.
Fluffy Bakery-Style Cornbread Muffins
so . . . how were they!?
Instead of the typical dense hunk-o-cornbread, these babies are fluff-ay! I’m so excited to FINALLY have a go-to cornbread recipe. It’s about freaking time, right!? I hope you love them too.
Pair them with chili, your favorite soup, or just snag a few for on-the-go snacking! They’re a great compliment to your fall comfort food or simply enjoy them all on their own. I hope y’all love these fluffy bakery-style cornbread muffins as much as we do!
Pumpkin spicing your face off right now? Try my crazy delicious Pumpkin Cornbread or Sweet Potato Cornbread Muffins next!
Fluffy Bakery-Style Cornbread Muffins
Ultra fluffy bakery-style cornbread muffins that are full of flavor. Ditch the box and make these instead!
Ingredients
- 1 + 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup stoneground cornmeal (finely ground)
- 1.5 TBSP reduced-sodium aluminum-free baking powder* (see notes)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup butter softened
- 1 cup milk (I used a coconut-almond blend; any milk works!)
- 2 TBSP oil (olive, coconut, avocado)
- 2 large eggs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
- In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar with an electric hand mixer.
- Add milk and oil and mix on low. Add two slightly beaten eggs to the mixture and whisk or lightly beat to incorporate.
- Slowly add the cornmeal mixture in; mixing the two together with a fork until combined. The batter should be slightly airy and sticky.
- Spoon into a greased muffin tin and bake for 18-20 minutes at 350F, using a toothpick to test the center of the muffins for doneness.
- Allow to cool. Of course typical cooling protocol in this household involves munching a molten hot muffin while the others chill to room temperature. Enjoy! <3
Recipe Notes
* I like to use Rumford's reduced sodium aluminum-free baking powder, which has a much more mild taste in baking recipes. If using a different, regular sodium variety, reduce the amount of baking powder in this recipe to 1 TBSP.
Nutrition facts below are an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. Simply adjust as needed! xo
Pair these fluffy cornbread muffins with chili, your favorite soup, or just snag a few for on-the-go snacking!
Have a few left over?
Wrap ’em up and store in an airtight container for up to four days.
You can even freeze them!
hungry for more?
- Quick and Easy Homemade Cornbread <— another crowd pleaser!
- Cheesy Cheddar Bay Biscuit Copycat
- Apple Cinnamon Banana-Nut Muffins
- Pumpkin Muffins
Ann
Hi. I have white stoneground cornmeal. Will this work?
Jenn
Hi Ann! Stoneground is coarser in texture and will yield a denser muffin that is less fluffy. I’d go for a finer cornmeal for this recipe since readers that have used stoneground reported the muffins were less fluffy. Hope that helps! xo
Jim
Awesome! Thanks for this recipe…it’s my “go-to” now for scrumptious corn muffins! Bye-bye box mixes! 🙂
Liz
Amazing in every way. I used buttermilk and added a teaspoon of vanilla extract. We love them. My hubby said the flavor lingers in your mouth. It does. Love it!!!
Jenn
Ooh I have to try them with vanilla next time – that sounds lovely! Thanks Liz!
Jennifer
The best corn muffin recipe,very light and fluffy. I don’t use egg so I used flax seed to substitute, turned out great. Can’t stop eating them!
Jenn
I’m so glad you enjoyed them, Jennifer! Thanks!
Maureen
Wow there is a big problem with these muffins. It’s hard to stop eating them. These are the best muffins ever. I’ve been making cornmeal muffins for 50 years, and this is the best recipe that I’ve ever tried. Please do yourself and family a favour and try these. You’ll love them.
DIANA DONDERO
Love these muffins. Can you bake as a corn bread instead of muffins? If so what size pan and how long?
Jenn
Hi Diana! I’m so glad you love the muffins! I haven’t tried converting them from this recipe, but I do have an old fashioned cornbread recipe that is absolutely dreamy: Homemade Cornbread
John Doornbosch
Great taste and ez to make.
Lynn
A little crispy on the outside, light and tender on the inside. This will be THE cornbread muffin recipe at my house from now on!
Cypi
Came out sooooo good ! Thank you for sharing this recipe !
Jenny McMaster
Way better than the All Recipees corn meal muffins
Jessica Tseng
I’ve tried a million cornbread muffin recipes and this BY FAR is the best one I have every tasted! Not crumbly at all, just the perfect density and moistness. These are now my go to!
Marina
Holy Hanna these are amazing. Made them to go with ribs tonight! I was lazy and threw everything together mainly in a bowl, wet and adding dry last. Exactly what I was craving!
Alex
When I’d add in the oil and milk the mixture would curdle up. I redid it and the same thing happened but I just rolled with it. All in all, great recipe. The texture is perfect and they’re not too sweet. I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk & coconut oil. Just made them and 4 are gone already. Yum.
Pamula Abramic Mytz
The best recipie I’ve come across! It’s a definite keeper! No need to look any further. I’ve added this recipie to my collection…side all day ingredients together..is all I did differently…
Amanda
So delish! Light crumb, super fluffy and moist! My oldest daughter loves cornbread muffins and this is the best recipe I’ve made yet. Thanks for sharing!
Selena
I just made these abs they are awesome! Very flavourful and fluffy. Made some honey butter to go with them and they were crazy good! Would definitely make them again.
Ren
Very moist and delicious! I made these for a work event and they were a hit! Nothing leftover. I added shredded cheese and diced jalapeños and substituted the sugar for honey
Jenn
So happy to hear it Ren, thank you! LOVE the addition of cheese, jalapenos, and honey! I make a cornbread like that this time of year and it always vanishes fast! xo
Sandra
Omg love love love these muffins just made them in my messed up way I don’t follow directions very good but still they turned out blisters in my mouth because I literally could not wait to eat thank you thank you
Ashley
The recipe indicates 1.5 tablespoons baking POWDER
The note that goes along with that says if you use regular sodium variety, the amount of baking SODA is 1 tablespoon.
Is it baking powder or baking soda that is to be used in this recipe?
Jenn
Hey Ashley! It’s baking powder. How much you’ll use depends on type used and preference. I’m a big fan of using aluminum-free and low-sodium for flavor and performance. Hope this helps! xo
Kristen
These were great! Really moist unlike most cornbread. I reduced the baking powder to one tablespoon.
Amy
Turned out great. Based on the comments, I reduced the baking powder to 1 TBSP and everyone liked them. I will, however, give it another go with the full amount of baking powder to see if they turn out fluffier.
Robin
Made these twice now family loves them ! Very tasty
Chrissy
Very good recipe, thank you for sharing it. I adapted it a bit by slightly reducing the amount of corn meal to make the muffins less grainy, reduced baking powder to 1 TBS, which avoiding the peak look, folded in 1/4 cup fresh corn, and sprinkled the tops with turbinado sugar before putting them in oven. They were a big hit!
Jenn
So glad they were a hit and I love the turbinado topping! Thanks Chrissy!
WB
Excellent sweet corn muffins! The baking powder is correct and doesn’t affect the flavor at all. To those experiencing a bitter flavor … maybe you need new baking powder! I use Bob’s Red Mill brand 🙂
R. Smith
These are excellent muffins!! A little crumbly but super moist! My only complaint is that mine overflowed the top as they cooked. The recipe said it made 12 so I added all the batter to the cups even though my gut told me they were over full. Easy fix though. Next time I’ll spread the batter over 14 cups instead of 12! Will definitely make again!
CHristin
The worst corn muffins I ever tasted. The came out dry !! They all went in the garbage:(
Jenn
Aw man, it sounds like something for sure went wrong! Terribly sorry to hear it and I’m happy to help troubleshoot if you’d like!
Meghan O'Donnell
Almost Inedible 🙁 Is it really 1.5 tbsp of baking powder?? Maybe my husband will like them but I couldn’t even eat the one I tried after they came out of the oven.
Jenn
Hi Meghan! Yup it’s 1.5. I use 1 TBSP in my other cornbread muffin recipes but these are a little higher to be more of a jiffy boxed mix copycat. I was troubleshooting with someone else the other day and it had turned out that she used larger spoons to measure so extra B.P. went into the mix. Was anything swapped or altered here? What brand/type of baking soda was used out of curiosity? We’ve made these bad boys dozens of times now and I can’t seem to recreate a baking powder taste following the recipe. I’m happy to help troubleshoot!
Nancy
Made a batch based upon this recipe. First bite tasted strongly of baking powder. I suspect recipe should read “1.5 teaspoons of baking powder” not “1.5 tablespoons”.
Kindly advise!
Jenn
Hi Nancy! You can absolutely make it with a little less baking powder if preferred! I make my Sweet Potato Cornbread Muffins with just one tablespoon. Because this is meant to be a jiffy copycat I use a higher measurement because they tend to use a bit more in the boxed mix. We don’t notice a baking powder taste at all but it could be a difference in which kind we both use maybe? I typically buy Rumford Aluminum-Free baking powder, if that helps? xo
Wanda
The best corn muffins I’ve ever made. Most of them are to dry but not these-they are perfect. Will make them again!
layla
These were good but not great. I don’t think the cornmeal I have was fine enough because they.were crumbly but not very moist. And mine didn’t rise in the center at all even though I followed the recipe exactly. They rose a bit but they were flattoped and flush with the top of the.pan. What did I do wrong?
Jenn
Hi Layla! A few things could have happened. Baking powder expires pretty regularly and if it’s on the older side it won’t rise and will yield a fat dense muffin. Our ovens can also be a factor. I recently had to put an oven thermometer in my new oven because the oven has a mind of its own and did not match the thermometer’s temp. I’ve heard this is super common too so if you notice many baking recipes from seem off it’s an inexpensive way to ensure you know the true temp inside your oven. Thicker ground cornmeal will also yield a bit coarse/rustic of a muffin, I can suggest some brands if you’re looking for a finer one, just LMK! Question – what altitude are you at? This can affect baking and since my recipes are developed at sea level (Florida) so high or higher altitudes usually need a few small tweaks when baking. Happy to help troubleshoot – just keep me posted! xo
Layla
Hi Jenn,
Thank you for the response. I am at 174 feet in CA, so while it was a good question, I don’t think that’s it. I will check the oven temperature, that’s a great tip. And the baking powder was just opened last week, and it the same brand you use. So I’m a little stumped. I’d love recommendations of brands of cornmeal, thank you. That would be appreciated.
I’ll try it again with finer cornmeal and see what happens. I would like to make them a little sweeter with honey as well. So I may add 3 tablespoons of honey next time. Do you have any idea if that would be a problem or not?
Jenn
Hey Layla! I don’t think it’s an altitude issue then either, and thanks for popping back over so we can try to troubleshoot! There’s a chance the coarser corn meal was too heavy to do a full rise. Arrowhead Mills makes my favorite “fine ground” corn meal and it’s so light and fluffy! Bob’s Red Mill also makes a fantastic fine ground corn meal and I’ve used it a few times for my cornbreads and muffins with great results!
Do you like sweet potato by any chance? I have a Sweet Potato Cornbread Muffins recipe I adore and it has both blended sweet potato and sugar to give it a delightful sweetness! We love drizzling a little honey on top to take them over the top!
I can’t say for sure if adding honey to the recipe itself will have an effect without testing. I can try to play around with them next time we make cornbread though and see! We make it often around here especially when a craving for chili or taco chili strikes!
Lynn C.
Thanks for the clarification/correction, Jenn. No offense taken, just concerned that novices might be thrown by the discrepancy. The muffins turned out nicely, though not ‘ultra-fluffy.’ Excess baking powder will produce a fluffier result, that’s for sure.
Best regards.
Jenn
Glad you enjoyed them + I totally understand! Happy baking, Lynn! xoxo
Lynn C.
Your recipe indicates 1.5 TBSP baking powder (or 4.5 tsp …!?) — but when you gave the six muffin ingredients for Vicki G., you show 3/4 tsp baking powder. Something doesn’t compute. One-and-a-half TBSP is a huge amount of baking powder for a dozen muffins.
Please proofread your recipe & clear up the discrepancy. Thank you.
I will adjust my rating after the muffins are done.
Jenn
Hi Lynn, I’ve been making these muffins since 2013 so the recipe has indeed been proofread. I was rushing to help Vicki halve the recipe and typed tsp instead of tbsp in my response while calculating it all. All fixed now and my apologies if this offended you! xo
Vickie Griffin
Yes I wanted to try and make your cornbread muffins and brought the muffins down to 6 and it gave me some weird measurements that I do not know how to convert like 0.83 flour. I’m disappointed that I will not be able to try these or can you tell me what the measurements are for 6 muffins? I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you.
Jenn
Hi Vickie! I’d have to test a halved version to be 100% but here is the halved recipe below. I hope this helps! If you do wind up just making the full amount, they freeze wonderfully! xoxo
For 6 muffins…
1/2 plus 1/3 cup all-purpose flour – this will be 103 grams by weight
1/3 cup stoneground cornmeal (finely ground)
3/4 TBSP baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
2 TBSP butter softened
1/2 cup milk
1 TBSP oil (olive, coconut, avocado)
1 large egg
Esther
Could I do oil instead of butter?
Jenn
Hey Esther! I haven’t tested it yet to see what it changes texturally about the muffins but it’s for sure worth experimenting! Let me know if you give it a try. They may be a bit denser I think?
Rhiannon Porter
Made these tonight. Turned out amazing. Everyone loved them ! Had to cook them a bit longer but still turned out great
Jenn
So glad you enjoyed them Rhiannon, thank you! Oven temperament has differed in literally every home we’ve lived in – it’s a thing! So glad you found the perfect cook time for yours. xoxo
Essiej3
I’ve made these twice now – first time exactly per recipe and they had a floury taste. Tried them again but used buttermilk instead to see if that took care of the flour taste – nope. I’ll adjust the flour/cornmeal ratio next. As far as texture, nice! Rise, beautiful!
KAREN INDINDOLI
From a somewhat amateur however I am very experimental with baking
So I had to try to make my son in law a fluffier, moisiter corn muffin. He does bake.
I used some buttermilk, a tiny bit of sour cream, I use both baking powder and baking soda and I beat the egg whites and add in like a chiffon cake recipe.
I think the baking tin has some impact as well as the amount you put in the tin.
All that said you all out there might try something like these changes. He loved the muffins, somdo my children!
Annike
Thank you for a great recipe!
Jenn
Glad you enjoyed it Annike, thank you!
Aleisha Morgan
Hello from England! I’ve used your recipe twice now to make these muffins (most recently with lentil chilli) and I love the. My next goal is to use the recipe for cornbread stuffing, I’ll let you know if it turns out well. Xx
Allie
Girl, THANK YOU. Yesterday I made some real disappointing cornmeal muffins (it’s possible). I’m making these for a bake sale, so I modified them a little. I added maple syrup, thus adjusting the milk and sugar, I also added bacon fat for the oil, and a bunch of bacon. They’re amazing.
Jenn
Thanks Allie! Ohmygosh I want one of those bacon-bomb cornbread muffins right now!
PR
Were light and fluffy,tasted just okay, used coarse corn meal as the recipe stated. Too gritty for me think fine cornmeal should be fine for better results.
Jenn
Hi PR! You for sure want to use fine or ultra-fine cornmeal. The cornmeal I linked to in the recipe is ultra-fine but I also make it with fine and it works great! Coarse will for sure be gritty.
Amanda Jones
I’m excited to try these! Do you think I could use a mini loaf pan? It has 8 mini loaves in it, so I’m assuming I would just increase the baking time by a few minutes?
Jenn
Sooooo excited! Yes I think it should work great in mini loaf form! I’d keep some toothpicks handy and start checking them around 25/30 minutes for doneness?
Magda
Trying these for the first time. They are in the oven…waiting! Can I use gluten-free flower?
Jenn
I’ve been meaning to tinker with a gluten-free version this Fall – let me know how it works! xo
Mary ann
Loved your recipe !thanks
Brooke Stuner
Can this recipe be doubled? Can use cupcake liners?
Jenn
Hi Brooke! You can absoutely use cupcake liners here!
I haven’t tried doubling it yet but it should work (to yield 24 muffins) as long as all the measurements are exact. If the batter sits too long the second batch may not rise very well, so I’d try to use a 24-cup muffin tin or two 12-cup muffin tins side by side on the center rack if possible. Let me know if you get a chance to try it!
Billy
Is the batter supposed to be lumpy?
Jenn
Hey Billy! It depends on the type of cornmeal used, but you basically want to mix until all the dry ingredients are wet and incorporated. No need to over-mix to get it super smooth, but you don’t want large chunks of dry ingredients if possible. Hope that helps! xo
Shawna
I ended up with a lumpy batter when I added cold milk to the butter and sugar mixture- it made the room temped butter get more solid. I microwaved the mixture on medium power until it was smooth, making sure not to overheat or the eggs would scramble when added. Next time I think I would just melt the butter ahead of time, especially when baking in a drafty house in the winter.
I would also add that you’re going to fill the muffin tins to the top…some recipes only fill partway, so I wasn’t sure, then needed to top off, which might affect the texture of the muffin. I’m not so picky, and making these for a preschool Thanksgiving Party, so I think they will forgive an imperfect muffin, so long as it tastes good.
Jenn
Hey Shawna! Room temperature ingredients are ideal for baking so in the future I’d for sure warm the milk up if you don’t want to set it out in advance with the butter to soften. I like the softened butter here vs melted for extra fluffy cornbread muffins which is why I don’t melt it for this particular recipe – but when I don’t care about the fluff factor melted butter will for sure work! For the full muffin cup step, the reasoning behind that is simply to create a muffin top on the cornbread muffins (a la bakery-style) but it’s not needed if you prefer to make smaller muffins – I’ve even had a few readers use mini muffin tins and just make little ones to share. xo
Kristen
These were great!!! I didn’t even execute properly, and they still came out fantastic. (I mindlessly threw my sugar in with the dry ingredients, so just ended up tossing everything in one bowl and mixing it up with a wood spoon. Also, I only had more coarse polenta on hand, and some masa harina, so I subbed those 50/50.) The recipe struck me as calling for a lot of baking powder — and I’ll admit to shaving a small amount off the called for quantity due to my skepticism — but maybe that’s part of the trick? They were very light and fluffy. I was pleasantly surprised at how well they came out despite my missteps.
Cheryl Lausch
These corn muffins were fantastic! I served them with BBQ Chicken and ribs and my guests gobbled them up! I’m making a batch today for my next round of guests…thinking to serve for breakfast with eggs and bacon!!
Pat Timney
Very yummy easy to make muffins. I used Gluten Free All Purpose flour and buttermilk. My cornmeal was very fine, so would use coarser next time. I would also add just a little more sugar. I dropped a teaspoon of raspberry jam in middle and muffins cracked on top a bit while cooking and you can see the jam a little, looks nice and appealing. Sometimes hard to make regular four recipes work for gluten-free, but this one did work well !!
Ann
These were so fluffy that they totally fell apart into crumbs. I discarded the
last 5.
Jane
Hello. Is the butter salted or unsalted?
Jenn
Hi Jane! We use unsalted!
Jane
Thank you so much for this recipe. It is my first time to bake and it was a success. It was fluffy and light and just right – not bland nor sweet. 🙂
I will try the next batch with whole corn kernels to add texture and crunch.
Patricia
How wonderful! Isn’t it amazing how many dishes are made better with cornbread on the side! Love these!
Amanda Finks
These are the best cornbread muffins! So much better that from a box!
Anita
This was very similar to one I made when the my kids were little. I reduced the sugar to two tsp and added Jalepenos. Shredded cheese might be good too. I reduced the sugar because we eat it with chilli. Would be great as is, for dessert with honey butter thanks
Ingrid
I tried your recipe, but used vegetable oil instead of olive oil, and for the milk I used buttermilk. They turned out very light and fluffy. Not too sweet, either. This one is a keeper – thanks!
Jenn
I’m happy you enjoyed the muffins Ingrid! Glad it also works with veggie oil and buttermilk – so good to know!
Mo
Definitely want to use veggie oil over any other. Did you use same amount of buttermilk that the milk in this recipe calls for?
Roni
I love this recipe. I used half brown sugar and half white granulated sugar. Also added a few drops of vanilla. Delicious!
Jenn
Love the brown sugar combo and the vanilla, Roni – thank you!
Sandi
These are amazing! Light fluffy and had a high rise! Thank you for sharing
Sam
Will it make a difference if I use bleached flour instead in the Cornbread recipe?
Jenn
Hey Sam! Standard AP flour will work great too! I’ve fallen in love with King Arthur’s Unbleached AP flour so I usually just note the type I use in all my recipes. You’re good to go either way! xo
Sues
Oh man, I love cornbread and remember getting it from Boston Market when I was a kid! These muffins look so perfectly fluffy… I might just eat the whole tin of them!
Emilie
We love having cornbread with our favorite soups and chili. Muffins are such a fun and easy way to serve it. Thanks for sharing!
Faye
Yummy
Tina
I think too much baking powder is giving these a funny taste to me :/
camille
I followed your directions and added 1 cup of cooked frozen corn. I also baked it at 350 for 35 minutes in a 7 x 11 pan for cornbread. The best cornbread ever. Moist, fluffy, the taste was amazing. Thank you!
Lyndsey
I’m a corn muffin snob and hate the box mix! Harris Teeter or Fresh Market corn muffins are my favorite! I’ll update on how they turn out!
Jenn
I hope you adore them Lyndsey!!
Mary Johnson
These were really good. Growing up in a large family, our mom always made cornbread from the recipe on the side of the round box (you know the one) and baked in a cast iron skillet; so I’m used to a little browning on top. These were pale when done so I’m thinking of upping the temp. next time. My husband says they’re perfect as is. We toasted some the next morning and had them with strawberry jam. They were excellent.
Jenn
Ohmgyosh I have GOT to try these with strawberry jam – that sounds so good Mary! Thank you for the sweet review 🙂
Laura
I’m trying this today! Sounds delicious and I’m also a cornbread maniac! Thanks for sharing!!
Jenn
Yay!!! Hope you LOVE them Laura! 🙂
Susan
I made corn muffins from scratch (not the recipe above) using Quaker cornmeal, and they came out so gritty and dry and crumbly, it makes me think that maybe I should be using extra-fine cornmeal? I’m not sure what the texture is of the stone-ground cornmeal that you specify, since I’ve never bought it. I buy Quaker and use that to make polenta. I know the ratio that I used, 1:1 four and cornmeal was partially responsible. But maybe the cornmeal was just too coarse?